


The Acquisition

by thewayshedreamed



Series: Operation Ghost Leopard (Lysaedion Spy AU) [2]
Category: MAAS Sarah J. - Works, Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Elorcan, F/M, Fluff, Lysandra & Lorcan brotp, Operation Ghost Leopard, elorcan fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:02:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29643426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed
Summary: Operation Ghost Leopard, Parts 1-3 from Lorcan’s POV!
Relationships: Aedion Ashryver/Lysandra, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn, Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre, Lysandra & Lorcan Salvaterre
Series: Operation Ghost Leopard (Lysaedion Spy AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178225
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	The Acquisition

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been entertaining alternate POVs for a while, so shoutout to the gc for encouraging me to go through with it! The first is of course, Lorcan, and the beginning of his brotp with Lysandra. 
> 
> And some bonus Elorcan, because— why not?

——————————————————————————

Commander Salvaterre parked the black, unmarked SUV in a lowly lit parking spot. From there he would scan the parking lot for anyone noteworthy, prepared to warn the court members of their arrival and offering brief descriptions to allow them the ability to identify them quickly. Usually, he would bristle at the idea of sitting in the vehicle while any mission occurred, but he made peace with it that night.

Hellas, bless him for _volunteering_ to command the mission in the first place. At the center of it was Aelin Galathynius, and even though she was the single most important person in Rowan’s life, she grated on his nerves as if that was the very reason the gods created her. Rowan felt he wouldn’t be able to keep a level head enough to lead them through the task at hand, so he was never an option as the commander. The two with the most leadership experience were Aedion and himself, and he offered his services in the way he felt he could best contribute.

Considering the nature of the mission, Aedion was a clear favorite for initiating with their target. If the woman happened to agree to help them, which still seemed low-probability to Lorcan, there would be numerous public appearances and constant social engagement. That was a life Aedion navigated like the most familiar of back roads, and Lorcan would never argue that the prince could be a better fit for a role where one needed to be warm and charming at all times.

Plus, he had his own priorities; plans with a certain brunette to relocate and settle in Perranth. He gritted his teeth against the irritation he always felt at her circumstances, where she wasn’t really considered a legitimate heir to the land. It boiled down to laws of succession, and despite the lords of Terrasen having strong opinions, the land was her birthright. Securing it wouldn’t be the issue necessarily, but ensuring she was allowed to rule it without interference was another story.

He gave himself a minute to miss her, to wallow a bit in their situation. Before he could lose himself too much, the passenger door of his SUV opened abruptly to reveal alarge man with dark hair and eyes. Lorcan tensed initially, but he relaxed upon realizing who it was. Vaughan.

The man got in quickly and shut the door. He oriented his body toward Lorcan, his eyes scanning over his face as if he knew something was on his mind. After so many years of working together, Vaughan proved to be pretty good at figuring out such things.

“Hey,” Lorcan greeted. “Were you able to secure anymore information?”

Vaughan’s role within the Keep had taken months to establish and shape, especially with consideration for laying as low as possible. For all the rest of the court knew, he’d accepted a private security job for a wealthy family a couple of hours from Orynth in order to maintain his low profile. The man cut him with a glare; a silent admonishment for the insinuation that he hadn’t yet learned enough with the target’s assignments and signals.

“Nothing to your satisfaction,” Vaughan responded drily. Lorcan leaned his head back against the rest to stare properly at the SUV’s ceiling. “I can tell you that Ennar is onsite. Arobynn himself is here, as well as Tern, Harding, and Mullin. I’m here as back-up, and several others are throughout the parking lot to make sure our ground is covered.”

“A lot of man power,” Lorcan noted.

“Yeah.”

A moment of silence passed, pregnant with the implications of having so many agents present. Arobynn intended to make moves, it seemed. Vaughan’s voice carried through the vehicle again.

“Fighting your way out isn’t an option, Lorcan. If you plan to extract Ennar, it’ll have to go unnoticed. If they make a move on Aelin, I’ll do my best to position myself as the transport vehicle.” Another pause. “Hopefully we have time to touch base on a plan from there.”

Lorcan rolled his head toward his friend. There was a weary expression on his face, and he knew it to be a sign of Vaughan not feeling adequately prepared for the given scenario. Despite the work he’d been doing, he still hadn’t acquired the clearance to get detailed updates from Arobynn, and the unknown made the man restless at best.

“Thanks. I’ll pass the message along.”

“How many?”

“We have the immediate court tonight. The wolves got here first, and Fen started all his schmoozing and networking. Connall is working the room, too, but he’s busier scanning the crowd to keep us updated. Whitethorn is shadowing Aelin as she makes her rounds, and Ashryver is looking for Ennar.”

“Got it. Well, if it helps, she’s in a green dress.”

—

Lorcan delivered the information to the rest of the court through their earpieces. It didn’t surprise him that Rowan’s tense voice filled his ears within seconds with several recommendations on how to proceed. The news that there were so many of Arobynn’s men stationed within the gala and outside made him eager to act, but to his credit, Lorcan had to agree.

They knew a move was quickly approaching, but Aedion requested that they stretch their time just slightly. He was making progress with the woman, according to him, and promised to signal Whitethorn when he was ready to make his move. Aelin was resistant to changing their plan without knowing for sure that they could secure their target, but she would surely change her mind when she realized the threat that grew with each passing second.

Right?

Lorcan heard Aedion asking the woman, going by the name Olivia, to dance. They exchanged some good-natured banter, but he felt his face scrunch at some of the insufferable things he was forced to hear. Lorcan knew Aedion was a shameless flirt, but it seemed Ms. Olivia wasn’t one to be shy, either.

_“Oh, I’m no dancer. But I appreciate the offer, Prince.”_

_“I told you to stop calling me that. It feels too proper. Please, call me Aedion.”_

_“Are your intentions with me improper, Aedion?”_

That one earned a laugh, nearly blowing out Lorcan’s eardrum with the small ear piece tucked in tightly. He scowled at the volume.

_“Maybe, I haven’t decided yet.”_

Hellas, help him.

“Ashryver, we need to figure out if she’d mic’ed up before we extract the target,” he ordered, talking quickly through Aedion’s waltz instructions to his dance partner. “I don’t know. You’re dancing, right? Give us a spin if you heard my order. Whitethorn, confirm the signal once you see it.”

Lorcan waited, hoping to the gods that this wouldn’t be the time for their audio to glitch.

_“You’re a great dancer.”_

_“Surprised?”_

“Salvaterre, signal confirmed,” Rowan reported, his voice all business.

He waited a bit longer for another report, suffering through another round of flirtation and talks of cotillion. He wasn’t sure which was worse. Suddenly, there was the loud popping of audio feedback, earning a quick curse from Lorcan as he started slightly. Their conversation continued until those damned pops rang through his ear piece once more.

_“It’s okay, Liv. Just noise interference.”_

Noise interference. Well, that answered the question of whether their target wore a wire. Clever bastard. The question at that point was where the mic was being worn, but Lorcan figured Aedion would know soon enough.

“Alright, now all we have to do is get rid of the mic discreetly before we make any moves,” he said, mostly to Aedion rather than the others.

Connall’s voice sounded in his ear. “Fen has engaged with members his team. We haven’t identified all of his men inside yet, but we have several engaged at the moment. Now would be the time if we can swing it.”

His words were followed by raucous laughter in the background, likely at something the blond had just said. Lorcan heard his voice once more, sounding as though he was holding everyone’s attention in the palm of his hand. Once the noise subsided slightly, he turned his attention toward the parking lot. From the next aisle over, he could see Tern leaving another unmarked SUV and making his way back toward the event, Harding in tow. The two men had been inside earlier in the evening, per Connall, and Lorcan didn’t like the idea that they were outside to regroup or prep for the next move.

“Come in, Whitethorn.”

It only took a couple of seconds for Rowan’s accent to come through the speaker. “Whitethorn.”

“Two associates just left an unmarked SUV in the parking lot. We need to find a natural way for you two to initiate your exit.”

Although Aedion was making clear progress, ensuring Aelin got out of the event safely was priority number one. If things took too long as far as acquiring their target, Lorcan was more than prepared to order Aedion to withdraw with the goal of planning another attempt.

A pause. “10-4. I’ll coordinate with her. When we’re headed toward the exit, I’ll notify you.”

He knew Aelin would buck the decision, but hopefully she would go easily. If anyone was capable of making that happen, it was Rowan. Before he could deliver his next order to Aedion, he heard the prince’s voice in his ear.

_“What do you say you and me get out of here for a little while? I could use a break from the noise.”_

Aedion was one step ahead. Good. There was a bit of a silence for a moment, and Lorcan wondered if the woman had simply walked away from the prince altogether. He wished he had eyes on the room so he could evaluate the situation for himself.

_“Tern should have invested in better equipment. Your mic isn’t playing nice with the sound system, Lysandra.”_

Lorcan sure as Hel hoped Aedion was truly so confident in his ability to pull off the last stretch of the mission. Otherwise, he ran the risk of showing his cards just to have her slit his throat with them.

_“Give them the signal.”_

Vaughan had managed to learn of the signal in the week leading up to the gala. Fingers down the lapels of his jacket, cheek kiss, hand hold. It seemed people were a little more loose-lipped around the Keep when it meant Ennar’s assignments. The signal meant their 30-minute countdown until her colleagues were to go looking for her began; unless stated otherwise.

Lorcan heard the wolves shift their conversations with those around them to lay the groundwork for that information. They would tell people in Arobynn’s outer circle that the pair left at the same time, and hopefully, those men would report to the inner circle shortly after. Since all information was second-hand, those closest to Arobynn would likely assume the others were informed directly by Lysandra.

He hoped that was the case, anyway.

“The princess has retreated to a nearby restroom feigning illness. She’ll remain in place until we’re ready to proceed with the next phase.”

Lorcan really needed this to play out in terms of timing, but the universe didn’t exactly owe him any favors. The fact that Aelin hadn’t needed much convincing to start their exit was a blessing in and of itself.

Muffled rustling sounded through his ear piece, indicating to him that Aedion was moving swiftly to another location within the event center. Where that was remained to be seen. There was a quiet opening of door; faint squeaking of the hinges and a quick closure.

_“We only have a few minutes, Liv.”_

Not at all a lie. The commander did wish; however, that he didn’t have to experience Ashryver’s charms directly into his ear as if he were murmuring directly to Lorcan. He’d underestimated how much he would be having to sit through.

_“What are you waiting for?”_

Giving credit where it was due, he had to nod in awe of her nerve. Good for her. Not many would keep such bravado in a similar circumstance with the prince of Terrasen.

More rustling came through the earpiece, followed by a loud ripping sound, as if someone was tearing linen into shreds of something. He wasn’t sure what to make of that. The woman’s clipped words came through with a hiss.

_“What the hell was that?”_

Perfect; he’d had that very same question. To his annoyance, Ashryver didn’t answer her. His voice didn’t come through the mic though, calling for Whitethorn. Once Rowan responded, his next question came immediately. It seemed the prince had picked up on the time sensitivity. That made things that all the easier on Lorcan.

“Have the wolves engaged the others?” More godsdamned rustling interfered with the clarity of his words.

Rowan launched into a brief status report and asked for the same from Aedion. His response didn’t do much in terms of giving much detail, but it communicated enough to have Lorcan adjusting in his seat and putting the SUV into gear.

_“I’ll keep you posted on our location. Notify me once Salvaterre is in position.”_

He pulled the SUV around the parking lot to allow Rowan and Aelin seconds to travel from the bathroom to the valet and pick-up area. Once he pulled up, the two of them walked out briskly, chins high, but not so fast as to now seem casual. Whitethorn had a hand rested on Aelin’s lower back as they walked, rotating just ahead of her to open the back door to the SUV. He helped her into the third row seat and groaned as he forced his large form in the seat next to her.

As it all played out, Lorcan was half-listening to what seemed like a lover’s quarrel going on between Aedion and their target. Something about throwing her dress away, changing her clothes, and her being pissed off at his manhandling without any explanation. Honestly, she had a point there, he thought.

“What’s the status on Aedion and Lysandra?” Aelin asked into the SUV. She was the only one of them not wearing an earpiece, fearing that the guests’ scrutiny of her up close would raise questions about the reasons behind it. Wasn’t that what having security around the royal family was for, anyway?

“Aedion successfully pulled her from the ballroom and is having her change right now. She’s not happy,” Lorcan responded curtly, not wanting to elaborate and risk missing any key communications.

_“I’m on a bit of a mission myself. The twins are working the room near your colleagues to serve as a distraction and to buy us some time. Being that they won’t look for us for another 20 minutes or so, we should be okay. But you’re not exactly easy to sneak out of an event in a tight green dress and looking… like you do.”_

_“You were quite clever out there. With the mic and all that. I should have known you were up to something.”_ Her voice gave no indications of amusement.

 _“Last I checked, people didn’t earn high ranks in the military or high-profile security positions by looks alone.”_ A pause. _“Gods, you couldn’t be plain if you tried.”_

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Lorcan would rather puncture his own eardrums. Sensing his irritation, Rowan huffed a laugh from the backseat.

“What? What’s funny?” Aelin demanded.

Lorcan didn’t deign to respond. He vowed to only deal with one of the cousins at a time if he could help it.

“Your cousin. He shares your humility and your skills as a wordsmith,” Rowan deadpanned, a smirk living on his mouth.

Aelin sat back into her seat roughly, content to ignore the men until she couldn’t anymore. Lysandra and Aedion’s banter continued, and although he loathed to admit it, it was growing increasingly entertaining.

_“Lick my thumb.”_

_“I’m sorry, what?”_

Lorcan’s eyes met Rowan’s in the rearview mirror, confusion and amusement passing across both of their features.

_“I’m going to wipe off your lipstick. We’re meant to be sneaking out after a quick romp in the bathroom.”_

_“Please don’t say romp. And, no.”_

That pulled a strangled sound from the usually stoic Rowan. Aelin eyed both of them curiously, but she didn’t ask any questions.

“Ashryver,” Lorcan said suddenly; anything to interrupt the conversation. “We’re positioned at valet and have the backseat open for you. Once you make your way here, we can have the wolves back out.”

“10-4. We’re on our way.”

He could vaguely make out continued protests from Lysandra in the background, but he heard enough movement that he figured they were making progress. Despite her words, she was still walking with Aedion if they could hear her through the mic, and that was all that mattered.

They pair walked through the door of the event center, looking properly unruffled. Aedion spotted them in milliseconds and made his way to the car, Lysandra in tow. The woman’s hair was piled atop her head and wearing Ashryver’s button down shirt as a dress. He looked away as she climbed into the vehicle, just in case she had any type of wardrobe mishap along the way. He didn’t think they could recover from the secondhand embarrassment.

Lorcan shifted into gear and used every ounce of his self-control to not floor the gas pedal immediately. He kept a level speed until he turned onto the road. From there, he allowed himself the urgency he felt thrumming through his blood.

Per her usual method, Aelin chose a dramatic announcement of her presence. Lorcan resisted an eye roll at her antics, not willing to undermine the princess in front of someone outside their court. The lines of professionalism had to be drawn somewhere, he supposed.

Upon realizing her circumstances, Lysandra’s voice sounded through he SUV. “Why is it that when things get complicated, it’s usually you at the root of it?”

Lorcan couldn’t stop the snort that forced its way through his nose, but to his relief, identical ones came from Rowan and Aedion as well. He glanced into the rearview mirror to steal a look at the woman in the backseat and found her staring at the ceiling as if begging the heavens to lift her from her seat. Not once had he ever witnessed such open exasperation toward the princess that rivaled his own.

Lysandra Ennar seemed like his kind of people.

The woman exchanged a few more words after so many years, even going as far as to mention a time where they’d gotten in a physical fight so intense they’d tumbled down the stairs. He decided to tuck that tidbit in his back pocket for later. That was a story he intended to hear.

Aelin seemed to be launching into her reasons for seeking Lysandra in the first place, and Lorcan promptly interrupted her. After Vaughan’s warnings regarding the numbers Arobynn had, he wanted to wait until they were in a more secure location before getting distracted with discussing the mission or recruiting Lysandra’s talents. All of the security checkpoints on palace grounds went over without a hitch, and finally, they were safely parked in the reinforced garage.

Lorcan opened the door for Lysandra, averting his gaze to avoid making her uncomfortable. The trouble was, he really needed to determine whether or not she carried weapons. Trying to do that to a woman in another man’s shirt and no pants seemed impossible without seeming like a complete fucking creep. So, the commander decided to do his best.

“Weapons?” He kept his question clipped and his gaze as efficient as possible. At least he’d announced his intentions before raking his eyes all over her.

It was then that Ashryver walked about the rear of the vehicle and saved them both from the terribly uncomfortable situation. He assured Lorcan that she had no weapons on her, which somehow segued into him arguing with Aelin about the state of Lysandra’s dress. He’d be lying if he said he cared to keep up with it.

Lysandra’s teasing voice pulled him out of his own thoughts, her tone mildly amused. “Were you really going to take my word for it? Who just asks someone if they have weapons?”

Her question sparked something in Lorcan, something usually pretty dormant. He almost wanted to laugh at the snark she dared in a scenario where she was vastly outnumbered, and he couldn’t help but admire her boldness. Before he realized it, he was responding in challenge.

“Would you rather I have gone straight in with a pat down, then?”

Despite the joke, it was a fair question. He thought he’d been doing the considerate thing by using the question to announce his intentions for gawking at her.

“Alright,” Aedion interrupted. “Enough. Shall we move to the war room, Commander?”

 _Interesting_ , Lorcan thought. The prince was certainly snippy all of a sudden. He and Lysandra shared a quick look, and somehow it seemed like she mirrored his observation. Aedion almost seemed... jealous.

The group of them traveled to the war room, settling into their respective seats and getting started. Aelin led the conversation with interjection from Lorcan along the way. Ennar had a lot of opinions on their current situation, almost all of which Lorcan held as well. She hadn’t been happy when he told her he planned to keep his source within the Keep a secret, but he supposed he would feel the same way if in her shoes.

Watching Aelin notify Aedion that he was to serve as Lysandra's primary Guard shouldn't have amused him, but some fucked up part of him didn't mind watching the two golden-haired cousins go head-to-head. Their mannerisms and facial expressions were remarkably similar when riled, Lorcan realized. It was almost unnerving.

When Aelin shared that Lorcan would fill in for Aedion when his schedule clashed with Lysandra's, Lorcan couldn't help but shoot a friendly wink her way. Finally, he had someone on this mission who shared his opinion and may make certain things more tolerable. For whatever reason, he hadn't expected her to wink back. He suppressed a laugh in an effort to maintain some illusion of professionalism.

The talks continued, and the prince of Terrasen revealed his exhaustion by leaning heavily into the back of his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. From the look on Lysandra's face, she wasn't particularly impressed. She told him as much and tense, awkward conversation followed. This woman seemed hellbent on walking into their court and disrupting everything, it seemed. Lorcan liked the confidence and command she carried; until he was dragged into it, anyway.

He’d been lost in thought enough to not realize the direction of the conversation or the sudden tension in the room. Whatever laced Aedion’s voice had Lorcan’s attention snapping back to the present.

"No, Lys. Gods, I'm just wrapping my head around all of this. It's a lot to take in.”

That, apparently, had not been the right thing to say.

"You think so? It's a lot for you? Forgive me if I can't give a _fuck_ about this being hard for you, Aedion. If it's too much, maybe I can just fake-date Lorcan instead. He's not bitching nearly as much about spending time with me.”

Woah. Point for Ennar.

A laugh, arrogant even by his own standards, carried out of his throat as he scanned the tense space between the two of them. For whatever reason he had to want to see the world burn that night, the smartass words tumbled out of his godsdamned mouth.

“Now there’s an idea.” Lorcan punctuated it with another secret wink to Lysandra so that she knew his comment was in jest.

The wink didn’t stop Rowan’s voice, heavy like that of a disappointed father, from cutting into the conversation. “Lorcan—“

“Lysandra suggest it; not me,” he interrupted, unwilling to be lectured by Whitethorn after such a long night.

"And it's not fucking happening," Aedion snapped, eyes flaring and surprising everyone with the finality of his tone.

Ashryver was indeed touchy surrounding Lysandra Ennar. He knew that tone, that look in a man’s eye who felt protective of someone beyond reason. Hel, he’d been that man before. The prince mastered himself once he realized everyone in the room was gawking at his outburst.

"The mission has already been initiated," he said gently. "A switch now would be a threat to its integrity."

It was sound enough rationale for everyone to drop it and move on. Blessedly, the meeting ended a few minutes later, and they were finally free to go to their respective quarters for sleep. The following day would bring its own set of problems, but he couldn’t care as he trudged heavily toward his bedroom.

—

The closer he’d gotten to his quarters, the more exhausted he felt. Finally, he was entering his key into the lock and opening the heavy door that separated him from the oblivion of sleep. Once closed, he leaned back with his eyes closed to take a deep breath and encourage himself through his nighttime routine.

_Come on. Just brush your teeth and take off your clothes. It’s a short walk from there._

“I’ve missed you.”

That voice was like the most beautiful music, tickling down his spine with impossibility. He had to be so tired that his brain was manifesting Elide in his rooms. Either that, or his pep talk had taken a weird turn.

He slid his eyes open, blinking against the low light of the lamp he’d left on in the living area. As sure as he was standing there, she was perched on the arm of his armchair and chewing her lip nervously. He needed to say something.

“What are you doing here?” He realized the mistake in his tone when her face fell.

“I led with that,” she retorted. His shoulders slouched slightly at the hurt in her voice.

“Elide, no. I didn’t—,” he stammered. “Let me try again.”

His long legs carried him to her quickly, and still believing she may dissolve into thin air, he raised his large hands to cup her petite face. Her brown eyes landed on his own, and for a second, all the stress was a nonissue. Elide was there.

“I’ve missed you, too.” He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, her fists wrapping themselves in the front of his shirt. “I’m surprised to see you is all. You’re not—“

“I’m not supposed to be here. I know. I’m just... I’m so tired of staying away from you.”

Elide moved to kiss him again, tracing the seam of his lips with her tongue for the first time in months. They’d had minimal contact since he began commanding the mission, and he hated being away from her. Her safety; however, came first. Lorcan groaned at the self=control it took to pull his mouth away from hers, chuckling lightly when her mouth pursued his.

“I’m tired of it, too,” he murmured. “It’s just not safe to be seen together when you’re the commander’s...”

Elide hid a smirk as he trailed off. “The commander’s what?”

Lorcan’s eyes scanned her face, looking for the right words for their situation. “His... companion.”

Her nose scrunched adorably, and her voice came out in a quiet screech. “His _companion_?!”

He allowed himself a full laugh then, unable to regret her presence for anything in the world. Saying goodbye would be brutal, but he would endure more for less than this time with her if necessary. He smiled down at her, his face softening at the blush on her cheeks.

“I would call you his fiancée, but you’re the one that won’t commit,” he challenged, his voice laced with mischief. They’d had this conversation more than once.

“You’re impossible. Of course I want that, but—“ her eyes dropped for a second before gleaming up at him again. The idea that she may cry hit him in the center of his chest. “I want it to be official, you know? Who wants to get engaged and have to keep it a secret indefinitely? Who knows how long this mission will last?”

“I know,” he pressed another kiss, longer this time, to her full lips. “As long as you know I want to go to Perranth with you when this is all said and done, I can wait.”

“Lord Lorcan Lochan,” she breathed with a smile. He rolled his eyes, but he secretly loved the way the alliteration rolled off of her tongue.

“It was dangerous of you to come here, El.”

“I know I can’t stay long. I have a car waiting.”

Her small hands pressed against his chest, running over his shoulders to link her fingers behind his neck. Lorcan adjusted his stance to lift her against him, and her legs wrapped around his waist automatically. A hum of contentment sounded from deep in his chest as she kissed him again. He flattened one of his palms against her spine, tracing gently all the way up until it was nestled in the hair at the nape of her neck. Pulling back far enough that their noses still brushed, he took a second to take her in. The thought of her leaving was almost painful, adding a layer of gravel to his already low voice.

“How long do you have?”

——————————————————————————


End file.
